Has the threshold for obtaining [Joy] points been increased

Normally, the judges responsible for scoring include at least eighth-tier experts among their ranks.

They only need to give scores without providing explanations.

After all, given their experience, evaluating fifth or sixth-tier students who haven’t yet seen the frontlines is more than enough—there’s no room for misjudgment.

Even if some subjective bias might creep into their scoring—since humans aren’t machines, and absolute fairness is impossible—the average score would still be roughly accurate.

This year, Jiangxia had over four thousand martial examinees.

There’s no way each of them could receive personalized comments.

Do you think they’re just a bunch of lousy writers?

Besides, even the worst writer could only manage four thousand words a day at most.

The reason these two stood out was because Guardian Jiang personally gave them scores and comments.

This made their evaluations far more valuable than the others’.

It might even become a hot topic before the third phase of testing began.

……

After confirming her victory, Liu Yuan leaped lightly off the stage.

Despite the ongoing chatter around her, she paid no attention.

She walked straight through the exit tunnel.

Within a hundred meters, she couldn’t sense Su Qi’s presence.

So she took out her phone, her slender fingers tapping the screen a few times.

【Iris: Brother, where are you?】

Within seconds, her screen lit up.

Su Qi replied almost instantly.

【Sleepyhead: Last row of the audience seats, near the exit.】

Liu Yuan’s expression instantly brightened.

She weaved through the noisy crowd, searching for that familiar figure.

Finally, in the corner of the stands—

“Brother~”

She dashed over with a bright smile, looking like an entirely different person from the cold, expressionless fighter on the stage.

“The cards you made for me are amazing! Even though my opponent was a tier above me, they couldn’t fight back at all.”

Su Qi reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

“I saw. But…”

“But what?” Liu Yuan tilted her head, a mix of anticipation and unease in her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Anyone would know—no matter how nice the first half of a sentence sounds, once “but” follows, everything before it becomes meaningless, just a setup for the second half.

Especially since Su Qi hadn’t even praised her.

“No more playing with your phone during matches,” Su Qi said, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness. “Focus. At least show your opponent some respect.”

Liu Yuan pouted.

“…I just wanted to finish quickly so I could find you.”

Su Qi sighed softly and dropped the subject.

What’s it like having an overly clingy little sister?

Su Qi couldn’t quite explain it.

He wasn’t sure if it was good or bad.

Well, whatever.

It wasn’t like he needed this silly girl to stand on her own just yet.

She had a protective charm on her anyway—she wouldn’t be easily harmed.

Though he wasn’t sure about the exact strength of that ‘Abyss’ card, Su Qi estimated it had to be at least eleventh or even twelfth-tier.

Even if Liu Yuan’s physical limits prevented it from unleashing its full power, it should still be enough to thrash Guardian Jiang, right?

Otherwise, what was the point of all the points he’d spent and the countless hours of training?

Basically, as long as she didn’t run into an Invoker summoning a ‘Deity,’ this silly girl wouldn’t face any real danger within Great Xia.

But speaking of which—why hadn’t he gotten any 【Pleasure】 points today?

That didn’t make sense.

He’d even squeezed in two training sessions before the match!

Had the points dried up?

Or had the threshold for gaining 【Pleasure】 increased?

Su Qi felt he needed to investigate further.

A stable source of points wasn’t something to take lightly.

After some thought, he stood up. “Let’s go home.”

……

The streets were bustling, filled with people and endless streams of cars.

The two walked side by side, weaving through the crowd, moving against the tide of noise.

Liu Yuan glanced at Su Qi. He’d been unusually quiet for a while now.

“Brother, what’s on your mind?”

Su Qi shook his head lightly. “Nothing.”

It was only around two in the afternoon, yet the streets were packed with hurried pedestrians.

After a moment of silence, a strange thought crossed Su Qi’s mind—if he hadn’t awakened his special talent that day, he might have ended up just like them.

Going to school, taking exams, working, raising a family—repeating the same cycle day after day until the end.

“Brother?” Liu Yuan called out again when Su Qi fell into thought once more.

“It’s nothing,” Su Qi said, snapping out of it. “I was just thinking… most people’s life paths are set from the very beginning.”

“Changing it… is too hard.”

Most are confined by their family’s expectations, walking the same paths their parents did—or the ones their parents deemed ‘better’—generation after generation, in an endless loop.

“So…?” Liu Yuan tilted her head.

Why was this dummy suddenly getting so philosophical?

Had seeing all these poor, overworked office workers triggered some deep reflection?

“So, I was wondering if sleeping in every day is a waste of my time…”

Liu Yuan: ???

Out of all the possible serious topics, she hadn’t expected this to be the one he’d dwell on.

She stretched onto her tiptoes, trying to feel his forehead.

But thanks to their height difference, she fell just short.

So she gave a tiny hop.

Finally, her fingers brushed his forehead—just for a split second.

But his temperature seemed normal. No fever.

Tentatively, she asked, “Maybe… you should change your username first?”

Su Qi blinked. “Why?”

Liu Yuan gave him the same confused look any freshly adult girl would. “Huh? Didn’t you just say you’re wasting your life?”

Su Qi nodded seriously. “Right. So, if we’re both sleeping, why can’t we just count it as one person’s time?”

Liu Yuan: ???

Is that how math works?!

And you’re seriously contemplating this nonsense after all that deep thinking?!

【Pleasure +999】

Seeing the points finally appear, Su Qi’s worries vanished.

Good. His little sister wasn’t broken yet.

…Wait, no—his special ability was still functioning.

Maybe after so many training sessions, the threshold for gaining 【Pleasure】 from Liu Yuan had increased.

It seemed he needed to adjust his tactics.

Perhaps… try something a little more unconventional?